The Best Short Program Skaters In North America

Compulsory connected program, original program, technical program... The short program has had many names since it was first introduced at the Canadian and U.S. Championships for pairs in 1964. The short program for singles was first contested at the Canadian and U.S. Championships nearly a decade later in 1973. In the last blog, we looked back at the winners of the short program at the European Championships. Today we'll take a quick look at past winners of the short program at Canadian and U.S. Championships each year... and some interesting takeaways. One note: a '*' denotes that a skater or couple also won the overall title that year.

SHORT PROGRAM WINNERS AT THE CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Year	Men	Women	Pairs
1964	(not held)	(not held)	Debbi Wilkes and Guy Revell*
1965	(not held)	(not held)	Faye Strutt and Jimmy Watters
1966	(not held)	(not held)	Alexis and Chris Shields
1967	(not held)	(not held)	Betty and John McKilligan*
1968	(not held)	(not held)	Betty and John McKilligan*
1969	(not held)	(not held)	Anna Forder and Richard Stephens*
1970	(not held)	(not held)	Sandra and Val Bezic*
1971	(not held)	(not held)	Sandra and Val Bezic*
1972	(not held)	(not held)	Sandra and Val Bezic*
1973	Toller Cranston*	Lynn Nightingale	Sandra and Val Bezic*
1974	Toller Cranston*	Lynn Nightingale*	Sandra and Val Bezic*
1975	Toller Cranston*	Lynn Nightingale*	Kathy Hutchinson and Jamie McGrigor
1976	Toller Cranston*	Lynn Nightingale*	Candy Jones and Don Fraser*
1977	Ron Shaver*	Lynn Nightingale*	Janet and Mark Hominuke
1978	Vern Taylor	Heather Kemkaran*	Sherri Baier and Robin Cowan*
1979	Brian Pockar*	Heather Kemkaran	Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini*
1980	Gordon Forbes	Heather Kemkaran*	Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini*
1981	Brian Pockar	Tracey Wainman*	Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini*
1982	Brian Orser*	Elizabeth Manley	Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini*
1983	Brian Orser*	Kay Thomson*	Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini*
1984	Brian Orser*	Cynthia Coull	Cynthia Coull and Mark Rowsom
1985	Brian Orser*	Elizabeth Manley*	Cynthia Coull and Mark Rowsom*
1986	Brian Orser*	Elizabeth Manley	Denise Benning and Lyndon Johnston
1987	Brian Orser*	Elizabeth Manley*	Cynthia Coull and Mark Rowsom*
1988	Brian Orser*	Elizabeth Manley*	Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler
1989	Kurt Browning*	Karen Preston*	Cindy Landry and Lyndon Johnston
1990	Norm Proft	Josée Chouinard	Cindy Landry and Lyndon Johnston*
1991	Kurt Browning*	Josée Chouinard*	Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler*
1992	Elvis Stojko	Karen Preston*	Christine Hough and Doug Ladret
1993	Kurt Browning*	Tanya Bingert	Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler*
1994	Elvis Stojko*	Josée Chouinard*	Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler*
1995	Sébastien Britten*	Netty Kim*	Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier*
1996	Elvis Stojko*	Josée Chouinard	Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier*
1997	Elvis Stojko*	Susan Humphreys*	Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz
1998	Elvis Stojko*	Angela Derochie*	Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz*
1999	Emanuel Sandhu	Jennifer Robinson*	Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz*
2000	Elvis Stojko*	Michelle Currie	Jamie Salé and David Pelletier*
2001	Ben Ferreira	Jennifer Robinson*	Jamie Salé and David Pelletier*
2002	Emanuel Sandhu	Annie Bellemare	Jamie Salé and David Pelletier*
2003	Ben Ferreira	Jennifer Robinson*	Anabelle Langlois and Patrice Archetto
2004	Emanuel Sandhu*	Cynthia Phaneuf*	Anabelle Langlois and Patrice Archetto
2005	Jeffrey Buttle*	Joannie Rochette*	Valérie Marcoux and Craig Buntin*
2006	Jeffrey Buttle*	Joannie Rochette*	Valérie Marcoux and Craig Buntin*
2007	Jeffrey Buttle*	Joannie Rochette*	Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison*
2008	Jeffrey Buttle	Joannie Rochette*	Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay*
2009	Patrick Chan*	Cynthia Phaneuf	Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin
2010	Patrick Chan*	Cynthia Phaneuf	Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay
2011	Patrick Chan*	Cynthia Phaneuf*	Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch*
2012	Patrick Chan*	Kaetlyn Osmond	Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford*
2013	Patrick Chan*	Kaetlyn Osmond*	Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford*
2014	Patrick Chan*	Kaetlyn Osmond*	Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford*
2015	Nam Nguyen*	Gabrielle Daleman*	Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford*
2016	Patrick Chan*	Kaetlyn Osmond	Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford*
2017	Patrick Chan*	Kaetlyn Osmond*	Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford*
2018	Patrick Chan*	Gabrielle Daleman*	Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford*
2019	Stephen Gogolev	Gabrielle Daleman	Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro*
2020	Keegan Messing	Alicia Pineault	Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro*

Some interesting things stand out here! First and foremost of course are the fact that there are some tremendously talented skaters on this list who probably should have won national titles but didn't. One skater that stands out is Ben Ferreira. He won the short program at Canadians twice (2001 and 2003) but was never a Canadian Champion.

Ben Ferreira

If you're a little superstitious, winning the pairs short program at Canadians was kind of curse in Olympic years for a period of time. In 1984, 1988 and 1992, the pairs short program winners all fell short of taking the national titles. It's happened in singles skating too - three times for the men (1980, 1992 and 2002) and three times for the women (1984, 2002 and 2010).

Lynn Nightingale. Photo courtesy Toronto Public Library, from Toronto Star Photographic Archive. Reproduced for educational purposes under license permission.

Patrick Chan holds the record for winning the men's short program the most times (nine), followed closely by Brian Orser (seven). Three women have won the short program at the Canadians five times: Lynn Nightingale, Elizabeth Manley and Kaetlyn Osmond. The pairs team who have won the short program the most times at Canadians are Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford. They won it seven times in a row from 2012 to 2018. Meagan also won the short program at the 2009 Canadians with Craig Buntin, giving her the most pairs short program wins ever at the Canadian Championships.

SHORT PROGRAM WINNERS AT THE U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS

Year	Men	Women	Pairs
1964	(not held)	(not held)	Vivian and Ronald Joseph
1965	(not held)	(not held)	Vivian and Ronald Joseph*
1966	(not held)	(not held)	Cynthia and Ron Kauffman*
1967	(not held)	(not held)	Cynthia and Ron Kauffman*
1968	(not held)	(not held)	Cynthia and Ron Kauffman*
1969	(not held)	(not held)	JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley
1970	(not held)	(not held)	JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley*
1971	(not held)	(not held)	JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley*
1972	(not held)	(not held)	JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley*
1973	Gordon McKellen Jr.*	Dorothy Hamill	Melissa and Mark Militano*
1974	Gordon McKellen Jr.*	Dorothy Hamill*	Melissa Militano and Johnny Johns*
1975	Terry Kubicka	Wendy Burge	Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner
1976	Charlie Tickner	Dorothy Hamill*	Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner*
1977	Charlie Tickner*	Barbie Smith	Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner*
1978	Charlie Tickner*	Linda Fratianne*	Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner*
1979	Charlie Tickner*	Linda Fratianne*	Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner*
1980	Charlie Tickner*	Lisa-Marie Allen	Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner*
1981	Scott Hamilton*	Vikki de Vries	Kitty and Peter Carruthers*
1982	Robert Wagenhoffer	Rosalynn Sumners*	Kitty and Peter Carruthers*
1983	Scott Hamilton*	Rosalynn Sumners*	Kitty and Peter Carruthers*
1984	Scott Hamilton*	Tiffany Chin	Kitty and Peter Carruthers*
1985	Brian Boitano*	Tiffany Chin*	Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard*
1986	Brian Boitano*	Caryn Kadavy	Gillian Wachsman and Todd Waggoner*
1987	Brian Boitano*	Debi Thomas	Gillian Wachsman and Todd Waggoner
1988	Brian Boitano*	Debi Thomas*	Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard*
1989	Christopher Bowman*	Jill Trenary*	Natalie and Wayne Seybold
1990	Todd Eldredge*	Kristi Yamaguchi	Kristi Yamaguchi and Rudy Galindo*
1991	Christopher Bowman	Kristi Yamaguchi	Natasha Kuchiki and Todd Sand*
1992	Christopher Bowman*	Kristi Yamaguchi*	Natasha Kuchiki and Todd Sand
1993	Mark Mitchell	Nancy Kerrigan*	Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval*
1994	Brian Boitano	Tonya Harding*	Jenni Meno and Todd Sand*
1995	Scott Davis	Tonia Kwiatkowski	Jenni Meno and Todd Sand*
1996	Todd Eldredge	Michelle Kwan*	Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen
1997	Todd Eldredge*	Michelle Kwan	Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen*
1998	Todd Eldredge*	Michelle Kwan*	Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen*
1999	Michael Weiss*	Michelle Kwan*	Danielle and Steven Hartsell*
2000	Michael Weiss*	Sasha Cohen	Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman*
2001	Michael Weiss	Michelle Kwan*	Danielle and Steven Hartsell
2002	Todd Eldredge*	Michelle Kwan*	Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman*
2003	Timothy Goebel	Michelle Kwan*	Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn*
2004	Johnny Weir*	Sasha Cohen	Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn
2005	Timothy Goebel	Michelle Kwan*	Kathryn Orscher and Garrett Lucash*
2006	Johnny Weir*	Sasha Cohen*	Kathryn Orscher and Garrett Lucash
2007	Evan Lysacek*	Kimmie Meissner*	Rena Inoue and John Baldwin Jr.
2008	Johnny Weir	Mirai Nagasu*	Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker*
2009	Jeremy Abbott*	Alissa Czisny*	Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett*
2010	Jeremy Abbott*	Mirai Nagasu	Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett*
2011	Ryan Bradley*	Mirai Nagasu	Caitlin Yankowskas and John Coughlin*
2012	Jeremy Abbott*	Agnes Zawadzki	Mary Beth Marley and Rockne Brubaker
2013	Jeremy Abbott	Ashley Wagner*	Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir*
2014	Jeremy Abbott*	Gracie Gold*	Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir*
2015	Jason Brown*	Ashley Wagner*	Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim*
2016	Max Aaron	Polina Edmunds	Tarah Kayne and Danny O'Shea*
2017	Nathan Chen*	Karen Chen*	Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc
2018	Nathan Chen*	Bradie Tennell*	Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim*
2019	Nathan Chen*	Bradie Tennell	Tarah Kayne and Danny O'Shea
2020	Nathan Chen*	Bradie Tennell	Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim*
2021	Nathan Chen*	Bradie Tennell*	Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Brandon Frazier*

Only four times in the history of the U.S. Championships has a skater or couple won the short program but failed to place in the top three in the final standings. This happened in the men's event in 1976 and 2001, in the women's event in 1981 and in the pairs in 2019.

Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner. Photo courtesy Chicago Public Library.

As of 2021, four men have won the short program at the U.S. Championships a record five times: Charlie Tickner, Brian Boitano, Jeremy Abbott and Nathan Chen. Michelle Kwan is the women's record-holder at eight. The most short program wins by a pair at the U.S. Championships is six, a feat achieved by Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner consecutively from 1975 to 1980.

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